Erodecity, town, northern Tamil Nādu Nadu state, southeastern India, on the Kaveri (Cauvery) River. Temple inscriptions indicate the prominent role played by the town as early as the 10th century ADCE. Its name is associated with a Cōḷa Chola temple (907–1279) and means “wet skull.” Though Erode was successively destroyed by MarāṭhāMaratha, Mysore Muslim, and British armies, the surrounding fertile soils assisted in the town’s city’s quick recovery as an agricultural trade centre.

Erode is a railway hub and is the junction for the Pykāra Pykara and Mettūr Mettur hydroelectric schemes. Industries include cotton ginning and the manufacture of transport equipment. It Erode has industrial schools and several colleges affiliated with the University of Madras. Pop. (1991 prelim.2001) 158,774.city, 150,541; urban agglom., 389,906.